Or as I like to call it - PRO LIFESTYLE!
It's January, which means your news feed and conversations are probably inundated with talks of diets and weight loss. Cringe!
Let's banish the guilt and shame and refocus on what is important to us as individuals.
" Food should be a pleasurable experience - mentally, emotionally, and physiologically." - me
Food as pleasure?! Hell yes! What we eat should not be causing us oodles of stress (or the high cortisol levels that stress brings with it)!
A Pro-Lifestyle approach is all about focusing on what works for you - your body, your values, your goals, your priorities, your likes, and your dislikes!
Sound good?
Well, here are my top 5 reasons on why I don't follow diet trends - aka Anti-Diet!
One - Labelling food as good or bad.
What did that food do to you anyway? Come on. It's a piece of food. It does not carry any special powers....unless you let it.
There is danger in demonising food. Why? Because if you decide to eat one of those "bad" foods, it leaves you feeling, well, bad! And adversely, eating a kale salad doesn't exactly make you "good".
Food is food. Some has more nutritional value than others. Some is more calorie dense than others. Simple. As long as you don't eat too much of a particular food, it does not deserve that label slapping you are giving it.
Two - Our brains hate scarcity.
So when you cut out whole food groups or restricting calories too much (hello hangry!), what does that trigger in your brain? Scarcity. For me, this strategy does not work. Why? Because our brains hate scarcity!
As soon as you tell yourself you can't have something....your brain automatically becomes laser-focused on having it. Right?! Then we are putting all of our energy into trying to stay disciplined and motivated to go against what our brain automatically wants to do:
Stop The Scarcity.
Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't cut certain foods out of your life if there is a reason to. Seeing your doctor or a nutritionist may lead to just that, for your specific needs.
Three - Focuses on a singular outcome.
Weight loss.
Now, weight loss isn't a bad thing if you are staying within a healthy weight range. However, focusing just on weight loss can lead to disappointment and a reliance on a singular measure of success.
With a pro-lifestyle approach, the focus is on multiple trackers, including things like how much energy you have, how well you are sleeping, how your body is feeling.
Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the food. Enjoy your lifestyle. That set of numbers on the scale lasts for only a moment.
Four - Stops you from tuning into your own body.
When you are so focused on following a specific diet trend, you are looking to that prescriptive way of eating, instead of listening to your own body.
With a pro-lifestyle approach, you are eating intuitively based on hunger levels, what you like and dislike, how your specific body reacts to certain foods, what is available to you, what you have time to prepare, and what feels good!
Five - Diets tell you to avoid your cravings.
This is a big hell no from me! Our bodies are beautifully complex and that craving is likely there for a reason. Either you are lacking something and your body is trying to tell you to eat a food that will give you that (ie: I can't stop craving those oysters from the market - you might be low on Vitamin D or Zinc).
Orrrrr.....it's craving something because it tastes damn good! And why shouldn't you eat something that tastes good and brings you pleasure?
Listen, life is about balance.
Your body knows the magic formula. Tap into what it's telling you and what supports the lifestyle you want - your body, your values, your goals, your priorities, your likes, and your dislikes.
What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear in the comments below.
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